News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| Good Neighbors by daw the minstrel | 27 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| finafyr | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| This weekend I read every one of your stories in order..I found them a delight.. and I wanted to let you know that I think that you have such a delightful feel of the world of Middle Earth that Tolkien so delightfully as he said "rediscovered". I have had this wonderful Love affair going with Middle earth for over 30 years.. thank you for so filling in the blanks so. I think delightfully. the Professor I think would have enjoyed them also.. after all that was the whole reason that he started writing, as he said, and Though I do not make an exact quote I think it is close enough...(Smile)"If we cannot find the sort of stories that we like than we will write them for ourselves". I find that I crave reading more.. and the only stories I read are the ones that capture of flavor of my favorite place.. as your writing has done so well... Thank you Author Reply: Oh my. Thank you. The thought of reading all those stories at once makes me what to lie down! But I have to say that you have given me *delight* by telling me you did it. You are so right about Tolkien, I think. This fandom is such a rich one to write in because he left us with this complicated world with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore on our own. And I am immensely flattered to have pleased a true Tolkien fan. | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| Okay, I just reread this chapter and I had another thought or two. Really, I'm sorry. I forgot that Turgon's adar helped him with the designs on his arrows. I'm mildly less annoyed with him. The artistic portion was his gig, I guess. Still... And I'm rethinking my stand on Thranduil shielding his sons from the twins. I really do understand where he is in all this, but Mithrandir rarely does anything that does not have a purpose. I wonder if it's his hope that the twins, seeing that Thranduil's sons have managed to balance their grief, will help to lessen the twins almost obsession with revenge. He did say that Elrond wanted them home. Obviously, they're not there. They are not working through this with family, but are working off each other in rage and vengeance. Not healthy. I think it's a parent's first reaction to try and shelter their children, but that's not always the best course of action. Experience is often the best teacher. And like I said in my other windy review, the five young elves all share a common bond of grief. Now that I think about it, I think the twins would benefit from getting to know the Thranduilions. And the king's sons would benefit from sharing their experience. Hm.m.m. I'm still thinking... I'm done this time. Really...I am.... Author Reply: This is interesting stuff, Karen. I did think that Turgon's father would encourage him to express himself in the way best suited to him and would accept him as he was. And that's good. But Turgon needs attention and discipline too and so does his little brother. Mithrandir brought the twins with him partly to keep them from hunting Orcs on their own. He asked them to protect him on his journey, which is almost laughable. We'll see how the sons get along and what they have to learn from one another. And oh yeah apologize for reviewing again because authors just hate that. :-) | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| OH! How unexpected. The twins and Mithrandir have come to the Woodland Realm. I'm like Legolas and want to meet them and hear all about Glorfindel and balrogs and whatever they might like to talk about. Shoot! They don't even have to say anything. I'll just look. You also took quite an emotional turn. My heart sank with Thranduil's when he had fleeting images of Lorellin's last moments. I can imagine that the grief is still so new to the twins that it is nearly contagious. No one can blame Thranduil from wanting to shield his sons from being reminded of the loss they suffered. That scene between Thranduil and Mithrandir was very well done. It's conveyed a lot of emotion and told us a lot about the fragile emotional state the Thranduilions are still in. Poor Turgon. I can't help but feel for the little scamp. The odds were against him from the beginning. He's really on his own. Legolas and Annael are the only constant support he seems to get and unfortunately, it's often misguided. His adar strikes me as a rather self-absorbed sort. The artsy-fartsy type. Nothing comes between him and his art. Kind of makes me want to slap him upside his head. Not even War and Peace was so important as to not notice your child. I realize he's no warrior and fletching arrows would probably be like asking him to sew a bridal gown, but he could have tried or found someone to help his son who did know what he was doing. Show an interest, you, Elf, you. Geez, I'm on a rant. Sorry. Eilian helping Legolas was nice. And they never even knew their adar's manipulation of the whole thing. It seems a reasonable way to deal with the whole thing. The arrows had to be done. Thranduil didn't want Legolas or Eilian alone or near the twins in their current state of grief. At least Thranduil knows he can't keep Ithilden and Eilian away from the Elrondions, but he can try to protect the vulnerable as best he can. I really like where this seems to be going. You know how I like to poke around in characters' heads and this is such a good start into looking at the common bond shared by the sons of Elrond and Thranduil. And we even get to see the places in Thranduil's heart that he never reveals to anyone...but us. I look forward to more. Great chapter, daw. Oh! And the men.... Inquiring minds want to know about them too. I believe Ithilden could find them with one hand tied behind his back too. Karen Author Reply: I was all excited when I found that bit in HoMe about the twins being in the battle against the Balchoth. They're challenging to write about though because there's so much fanfic about them. I have no intention of writing a prank fest and these guys just lost their mother in a horrible way that involved watching her suffer for a year. In some ways, a quick death would have been easier. I see the twins as sort of magical -- the Sons of Elrond. But how do I convey that? And would they look magical to another elf like Thranduil? So I'm still figuring them out. If I were Thranduil or his sons, the idea of Lorellin's terror and pain would send me into a frenzy. I can barely stand to write even the sentence I just wrote. I've spent some time in the last week or so trying to figure out Turgon's parents, and I'm afraid I decided that they were like me in my worst moments of selfishly desiring to be able to concentrate on my own interests. Only they're like that all the time. Once I concluded that, it was easier to see what was going wrong. Poor Turgon. If the men of Esgaroth saw Ithilden coming, I assume they'd surrender just to save themselves a lot of pain. :-) | |
| French Pony | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| Uh-huh. Yeah, maybe I'll get tired of these stories. And maybe the sun and the moon will rise in the north hills, and I'll quit ethnomusicology and take up accounting. So Turgon's father is a minstrel. Hmm. Interesting. He reminds me a little of Robert Schumann, I think, or what Robert would have been like if he hadn't been married to Clara or friends with Brahms. That need to work in absolute silence and such utter self-absorbedness, that's so Schumann. And look what happened to him. He ended his days in an insane asylum. Of course, Turgon's mother is such a mousy little thing that she's no help at all in that family. Nothing like Clara Schumann, and more's the pity. I wonder what Penntalion thinks about all this. He can't have not noticed that something is up with Turgon. Right now, it seems like the only ones who notice are Legolas and Annael, who are neither one of them old enough or sophisticated enough to know what to do about it. And here come the Sons of Elrond, broadcasting fresh grief for all the world to see. Mithrandir has brought them to Mirkwood for a purpose, but it's hard to tell if it's a Bad Idea or if Thranduil is just thwarting that purpose for purposes of his own. There is a theory that companions help grief, especially companions who have suffered a similar loss -- it leads to support groups. Clearly, Thranduil does not subscribe to this theory. I have to wonder just who he is protecting here. He seems to be the one most upset by Celebrian's misfortune (which he hasn't heard of before -- communication on the eastern side of the mountains is not very good, I guess), and I wonder if he isn't projecting just a little when he thinks of Eilian and Legolas. Sometimes, kids who have lost parents just blossom when they meet other kids who have lost parents. And sometimes not. It's a tough call, and I guess Thranduil is the one who knows his boys best. There goes Turgon with his riot of colors again! He hasn't changed a bit from that little kid with the crayons. He shouldn't have been a warrior. He would have been the Jackson Pollack of Middle Earth. No one has any idea what it is, but it is beautiful! Legolas could not imagine what it would be like to be drawn inexorably away from the woods. Hint, hint. Hint, hint. He was curious about the far-away places of Middle-earth that he had read about with his tutor, and he hoped to see them someday, but he would never want to live where there were no trees. You just keep telling yourself that, Legolas. . . I snickered at the idea of punishing Eilian by making him draw up a chart of Elrond's family ties. They're really frightening if you look at them long enough and realize that he is related to every single character in the Silmarillion. Galadriel isn't just his mother-in-law; she's his first cousin thrice removed. As I keep telling my sister, the running gag of the Silmarillion is that everyone is related to everyone else in the end. Author Reply: Thank you, French Pony. And don't give up ethnomusicology! Someone has to do that because ... well, just because! When I planned this story, I thought I would take little closer look at Turgon's family and then I had to figure them out a little. Like what did his father do? What were his parents like to make him the way he was? And I decided they were like me on my worst days when I just wanted to think about my own stuff and wanted my kid to go away for a while. Only they would be like that all the time. They're not bad exactly, and his father can do stuff like paint a creative arrow (I thought of the drawing too--Turgon's aesthetic is different from that of most elves, I think), but they're sure not good for their kids who need discipline and attention. And Legolas and Annael are just not equipped to do anything about this. But most people would hesitate to interfere, I think. I thought that word of events would travel slowly. They have to travel with travelers after all, unless maybe birds are used as messengers as they are in The Hobbit. And Celebrian would have just recently sailed. We'll see how the sons get on together. I had a problem because in "Question of Duty" (and curses that I ever wrote that story), I have Legolas meeting the twins for the first time. | |
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| This look at Turgon's family was very telling - instead of feeling sorry for Legolas for having such a friend, I definitely felt for Turgon for having a dysfunctional family. He really needs some appropriate attention. I am still distrubed by Thranduil, but I'm going to withhold judgment and wait and see how this turns out. Author Reply: I felt bad for Turgon too. His parents have occasional good moments -- his father paints the arrows with him and makes it clear that if Turgon wants wild colors, that's okay too. But they're too absorbed in their own concerns to be good parents. Thranduil is disturbed by the twins. Their new and rather raw emotion upsets his balance and he fears it will upset the balance of his sons. One of the themes of this story is Thranduil's relations with others, especially men, so we'll see how all this works out. | |
| Manderly | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| What a contrast you have painted of Legolas' family and Turgon's family. Thranduil, intimidating as he may be, is a wonderful adar and goes to great lengths to protect his children. His little scheme of having Eilian help Legolas with the arrows to draw them away from the twins (and their contagious grief and anguish) is very touching and heart-warming. It is unfortunate that Eilian doesn't know what Thranduil has done - it may lessen his apprehension of his father and warm their relationship a little more. As much as Turgon is a child from Mordor at times, I really do feel for him here. His father is too self-absorbed to be a good father and his mother is, as you have put it, vague. What a perfect word to describe her. I suspect Turgon gets into the trouble that he does as a way to get his parents' attention, but unfortunately his parents are often on another planet. And doubly unfortunate, parents like that are rampant today. Turgon really is a tragic figure when one thinks about it. This chapter for some reason really touched me. I will remember to say something loving to my daughters before I go to bed tonight. Author Reply: You know, you're right. Eilian so frequently misreads his father's intentions, and I think that Thranduil is one of those people who has no intention of explaining himself. I felt for Turgon as I was writing this too. I don't see his parents as bad people, but I do see them as bad parents. They are absorbed in their own concerns and their sons suffer for it. Thranduil is tempted to be that way because he's so busy, but he struggles to make time for Legolas in particular. Of course, his task is made easier by the presence of the older brothers who can stand in for him and whose company Legolas enjoys. Give your daughters a kiss for me. If my son were here, I'd be bugging him by talking to him! | |
| esamen | Reviewed Chapter: 2 on 11/1/2004 |
| “Mithrandir, and Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Master Elrond of Imladris,” he announced. And to Thranduil’s surprise, Mithrandir advanced into the room, flanked on either side by the tall, raven-haired twin sons of the lord of Imladris. Oh, I was so happy to see these names! Just thrilled! You do Gandalf so well. I have missed him. I also very much like how you are weaving the tale of the battle and the twins into your story line. This is great, fresh material woven into the story of the quest. Fantastic choice. I can't wait for your next chapter. You are an absolute marvel. I love this collection of stories and I treasure every one. Thanks again . . . Author Reply: I surprised myself by writing about the twins! I find them hard to characterize as I see them in my head. These are not merry pranksters. They are 2500 year old elven warriors who are gallant and brave and suffering. And yet, they're also the well-bred, well-educated sons of Elrond, who stand out in a crowd in ROTK. It's hard to catch that, given all the fanfic about them. I was excited to see their names in the account of that battle! | |